Help & Support

Cap your contract

Capped contracts give you complete control over your monthly bill, with a little flexibility. They’re available to all new and existing customers.

When you sign up to Tesco Mobile you have the option of Capping your contract – you choose your monthly tariff amount, and also a safety buffer. This is how much you’re ok with spending each month over your normal tariff amount on things not included in your monthly allowance. Your monthly bill will be capped at this amount each month. You won’t get any nasty bill shocks, but you’ll still have the flexibility to do what you need to do.

You can cap your contract at any time and it will come into effect on your next bill date. You can cap your contract via our app or by contacting us.

What’s included in a Capped contract allowance?

You’ll get your monthly allowance of minutes, texts and data for the tariff you choose.

We’ll text you when you’re close to using up each of your allowances, and again if you use any of them up. After that, you’ll be charged from your safety buffer, up to your bill cap amount. See how much it costs.

To carry on using your device once you’ve spent up to your safety buffer, you’ll need to make a payment or increase your safety buffer. You’ll always be able to receive calls and texts.

What’s not included in a Capped contract allowance?

The following are not included in Capped contracts, so they’ll use up your safety buffer:

What’s the difference between a Capped contract and one that’s not Capped?

A Capped contract gives you complete control over what you spend each month, with a little flexibility. As well as choosing your tariff amount, you also choose a safety buffer*, which is how much extra you’re ok with paying each month for things not included in your monthly allowance. We then cap your bill at this amount, so you never get a bigger bill than you expect. *The minimum safety buffer is £2.50 and can vary dependent upon bundles taken

On the other hand, choose a tariff that’s not Capped. These offer greater flexibility but are still subject to high usage limits.

Can I switch from my existing contract onto a Capped contract?

If you’re on another pay monthly tariff, you can move to a Capped contract at any time. Contact us to talk through your options.

Can I use my device abroad on a Capped contract tariff?

If you pick a safety buffer of £40 or under, we’ll limit the total amount you can spend on minutes, text and data abroad to £40, to help protect you from spending too much on data.

If you pick a safety buffer of over £40 we’ll apply that buffer you’ve chosen for minutes, texts and data whether you’re in the UK or abroad.

If you choose to remove your safety buffer altogether, you’re accepting that you are effectively uncapped and can spend as much as you like, subject to high usage limits.

If you want to keep control of your bill while you’re abroad, you can turn off data roaming on your device.

How can I check how much I’ve used of my monthly minutes, texts and data?

There are different ways to find out how many minutes, texts or data you have left at any time: